The negative effects of exposure to ultraviolet (“UV”) light are well-known. Prolonged exposure to sunlight causes damage such as sunburn to the skin and dries out hair making it brittle. When skin is exposed to UV light having a wavelength of from about 290 nm to about 400 nm, long term damage can lead to serious conditions such as skin cancer.
UV light also contributes to aging by causing free radicals to form in the skin. Free radicals include, for example, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, the superoxide anion, nitric oxide and hydrogen radicals. Free radicals attack DNA, membrane lipids and proteins, generating carbon radicals. These in turn react with oxygen to produce a peroxyl radical that can attack adjacent fatty acids to generate new carbon radicals. This cascade leads to a chain reaction producing lipid peroxidation products. Damage to the cell membrane results in loss of cell permeability, increased intercellular ionic concentration, and decreased ability to excrete or detoxify waste products. The end result is a loss of skin elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles. This process is commonly referred to as photo-aging.
Sunscreens can be used to protect against UV damage and delay the signs of aging. The degree of UV protection afforded by a sunscreen composition is directly related to the amount and type of UV filters contained therein. The higher the amount of UV filters, the greater the degree of UV protection. Nevertheless, it is desirable to achieve the best photo protection efficacy with the lowest amount of UV filters. The inventors of the instant disclosure discovered ways to attain SPFs that were not previously attainable with such low amounts of overall UV filters.